UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about the P&DM Degrees

 

What is the difference between full-time, part-time and block-release modes of study?
 The difference is in the way that the courses are offered.

Part time students are required to attend lectures starting in February for two evenings per week from 17h30 - 21h00, and the occasional Saturday. Part time students will complete their coursework in 24 months. The pace of the part time option is more regular and the indications are that students are able to absorb and reflect on their learning more effectively than in the other two options.
In the final semester of the coursework (the second half of their second year), students doing part time studies are required to attend two week-long blocks of study to complete their elective courses.

Block release students are required to attend lectures in blocks that occur four times per year starting in July of the year of registration, each block lasting for twelve full days from 8h30 to 17h00. Between blocks students are required to read the material for the next block, and to complete assignments that have been set by lecturers for submission on their return. Block release students will complete their coursework in 24 months. Periods when participants are on site doing the block are typically condensed with activities, lectures, and group work. This is an exciting though exhausting time. A large amount of intellectual exchange happens in a short time, and many participants find it difficult to absorb.

Full time students are required to attend a combination of both part time and full time sessions. This will mean that at times when participants are completing block release courses during the day, they will also be required to attend evening classes with the part time students. The difficulty that most full time students find is that exams and assignment deadlines for the block release and part time cohorts are set in isolation of each other, and can be overwhelming for people combining both methods of delivery. However, the School does manage this process by extending deadlines and coordinating output. The full-time option takes 12 months for the coursework, and commences in February.
The different modes of study apply only to the Masters of Management in the field of Public and Development Management (MM-PDM), and not to the MM ICT PR and the MM-PP.



Do I have to do the School's admission test?
All applicants to the schools of management at Wits P&DM are required to do an admission test, regardless of their prior qualifications. Applicants are required to do the Schools test administered on site in Parktown, Johannesburg.



What Criteria are used to assess applications?
Depending on the Masters that you have applied for, different assessment criteria apply. In general those Masters that consist of a 50% research component insist on an honours degree with a final score of at least 65%. These degrees include the Masters in Public Policy (MM-PP) and the Masters in ICT Policy and Regulation (MM-ICT PR). For the Masters of Management in the field of Public and Development Management (MM-PDM) which consists of a 25% research component, the school requires a 4 year degree, or honours equivalent, but places a larger emphasis on previous work experience, preferably at management level.
In all cases the school looks at a combination of both the previous qualification, as well as the work experience and the results of the admission test. Where an applicant does not have the classic academic track record, the assessors would look carefully at the experience and the test results.



I have just completed my honours, have no work experience and want to do a Masters in the public sector. What do you have to offer me?
The Masters in Public Policy requires an honours only, and does not require previous experience, though it is an advantage.



I would like to start in January on the part time cohort, but would like to have the ability to swap to the block release option later. Is this possible?
Yes this is possible. You should discuss this with the Academic Delivery Unit when you need to swop.



I am listing both the MM-PDM and the MBA as choices on my application form. If I get rejected for one, will I automatically get rejected for the other?
 No, there is no automatic rejection, though many people that are rejected for their first choice dont get into their second choice because the motivations that they write for access to the degree are targeted towards their first choice.
We recommend that you submit a motivation for your second choice separately to your first choice, detailing why the degree would still be appropriate to your career and personal development despite being on a different management track.



I have already completed a number of courses at another institution on a Masters of Management course. Can I get credit for these courses?
 Requests for credit for courses completed at other institutions are assessed on an individual basis. Essentially, the curricula and outcomes of the course at the other institution need be similar or the same as those of the course at P&DM before you are able to get credit. If you have completed previous degrees which have majored in subjects that P&DM teaches as part of courses, such as statistics, you may apply to get credit for this course.
In all cases, the application should be made to the Academic Director, in writing, and only after you have applied for and been accepted for a degree at P&DM. We recommend that you provide as much information as possible on the course that you did elsewhere, including learning outcomes and curriculum in order to assist the Academic Director in making his/her assessment.
You should remember that many of the subjects that are covered at P&DM are covered through the lens of management, rather than through the lens of a specific discipline such as law, accounting or science. Thus you will find that you may cover subjects that you have done elsewhere, but with a very different focus.